The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) is responsible for the operating environment underpinning entrepreneurship and innovation activities, securing the functioning of the labour market and workers’ employability, as well as for regional development. The sphere of authority of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy includes: industrial policy; energy policy and integration of the national preparation and implementation of climate policy; innovation and technology policy, internationalization of enterprises and technical safety; employment, unemployment and public employment service, working environment issues, collective agreements and arbitration of labour disputes; development of regions; functionality of markets, promotion of competition and consumer policy and integration of immigrants The Ministry was established in 2008, from the former Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Labour and the unit responsible for regional development within the Ministry of the Interior.